


Narcissa, Lily, and the Time of the Sun

by claudemonet



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Background Wolfstar, F/F, Two POVs, WIP, i wld die for narcissa and lily, i'm excited for this and you should be too, im sorry the summary is so Meh im not good at writing them RIPP
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-06-06
Updated: 2017-06-26
Packaged: 2018-11-09 17:18:37
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 16,288
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11109207
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/claudemonet/pseuds/claudemonet
Summary: Every year, Severus Snape asks Narcissa to study with he and his friend, Lily Evans. Every year, Narcissa turns him down. When she finally says yes during their fifth year, Narcissa gets a bit more than she bargained for. With a war brewing outside their castle walls, can she and Lily sit by and do nothing? Can they keep their friendship a secret? Can they remain 'just friends' when they keep looking at each other like that? Switches POV between Narcissa and Lily chapter-by-chapter





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hello!! I will be updating this fic every Monday. It's a WIP for sure, so please let me know what you think and what you'd like to see! I love comments, please give them to me, no matter how long or short they are- I appreciate them all. Thanks for checking out my fic! It's my first time writing Narlily, but I love it to pieces already.

“Come on,” Severus wheedled Narcissa. “It won’t be that bad- she doesn’t bite!” They were walking through the dungeons, heading towards an abandoned classroom Severus had somehow managed to secure for studying. Each of them had a Notice-Me-Not charm placed upon their person, but anxiety still niggled in Narcissa’s chest.

Narcissa scowled at him. For years, he’d been asking her to study with him and his friend, Lily Evans. For years, Narcissa had turned him down. Lily Evans, a brilliant girl in her own right, was a Muggleborn Gryffindor in their year. It wasn’t that Narcissa particularly disliked muggleborns- her family did. And for the past few years, her older sisters had been at school with her. Last year was Bella’s final year, with Andy having graduated the year before. It was only because her older sisters were gone that Narcissa agreed to practice with them at all. If Narcissa had been seen spending time with any muggleborn, Gryffindor or not, her parents would have been very, _very_ unhappy with her. 

However, over the summer Andy had gone batshit crazy, married a muggleborn named Ted Tonks, and had been promptly disowned. Druella’s anger that night was unlike Narcissa had ever seen from her mother. She’d chased Andy across the lawn to the gates, screaming and cursing her all the while. Andy had given as good as she got, and fought Druella off until she was beyond the Apparition wards. Narcissa hadn’t seen nor heard from Andy since that night- it would be far too risky to send an owl to Narcissa while she was at home. 

“I still think this is a bad idea,” Narcissa said tightly. “If anyone _sees-_ “ 

“I know, I know,” Severus rolled his eyes, pushing his lank hair out of his face. “If this gets back to your parents, you’ll be disowned and your mother will kill you and put your head on the wall like the House Elves. You’ve told me before!” 

“Then you know how _risky_ this is,” Narcissa hissed, anger flashing in her blue eyes. “If _anyone_ finds out and write back to my parents, I’m dead. I’ll be disowned, like Andy, and cast out before I’ve even turned seventeen!” And then, Bellatrix would be alone to fend off their parents. She’d been named heiress after Andy had fled, and Narcissa knew that under even under normal circumstances, Bella would have been reluctant to take up that particular mantle. She simply wasn’t cut from the same cloth as the doe-eyed, soft-haired pureblood sweethearts who were expected to stay home and raise a few children whilst maintaining their manor home and throwing galas every season. (Privately, Narcissa didn’t think any of them were suited to housewifery; no Black woman truly was.) As it was, Bellatrix had crept into Narcissa’s room the night Andy had left and cried with her. They’d lost their sister, envious as they were of her newfound freedom from their parents. 

Her anger seemed to have beaten through his thick skull and he remained silent as they climbed higher and higher through the castle. 

“Why do you want me to study with you two so badly, anyhow?” Narcissa asked, curious despite her ire. He’d been after her for years about it. 

“I think you two would get along,” he shrugged. “Plus, you two are my only friends who aren’t absolutely fucking crazy.” 

Narcissa laughed despite herself. “Only _you_ would think a Slytherin pureblood would get along with a Gryffindor muggleborn. I don’t think we’ve ever said a single word to each other.”

“You calling her a _muggleborn_ instead of…the other word gives the idea credence,” Severus pointed out smugly.  “Plus, you having never spoken to each other just means you won’t have to apologize for harassing her at some point.” 

Narcissa shrugged delicately. “I’m not a bloody purist arse, unlike your _crazy_ friends,” she pointed out. Personally, Narcissa didn’t see why Evans put up with Severus sometimes. He hung out around kids who were practically frothing at the mouth to take the Dark Mark, kids who, given half a chance, would kill Evans in cold blood to prove their commitment to the Dark Lord. 

He shrugged, too, only a slight tightness in his jaw indicating he was upset with her comment. She didn’t see why; he’d just called them crazy, too, and he had to know what they valued. It wasn’t as if they ever stopped spouting off about it. 

“Yeah, well,” he said, uncomfortable. “I just don’t let them get near each other.” 

“Why do you like them, anyhow?” Narcissa asked. “I’m from one of the Darkest houses in magical history, and even _I_ don’t like them.” Nothing confused her so much as to why Severus, a half-blood, willingly hung around people who thought he was their inferior. Narcissa was perfectly happy to ignore them all and breeze through school calmly, aloof as a wolf, cool as ice. 

He shrugged, again, but said nothing. Just as well- his pathetic excuses for hanging around with a pack of rabid dogs might have been enough to turn her off their friendship. They continued through the castle in silence until they reached the seventh floor. 

“Why in the hell couldn’t the classroom you got have been, say, three floors lower?” Narcissa grumbled. “We could have met halfway between our Common Rooms! Just because you have a crush on her doesn’t mean _I_ should have to climb to the top of the castle!” 

“The climb is worth it,” Severus promised, not bothering to deny his crush. “Plus, the closer you are to Gryffindor, the less likely someone who would write your parents will see you.” 

“Well, the classroom had better be made of gold and spit out vials of Felix Felicis, because I won’t make this walk again if it doesn’t,” Narcissa scowled, brushing her blonde hair over one shoulder. 

Severus led her to a seldom-used hallway. Narcissa wasn’t sure she’d ever been to this part of the castle before. The classrooms in current use were closer to the grand staircase, and the Headmaster’s office was a few corridors over. There was only one door along the wall- it was wooden, nondescript. In her opinion, it looked rather like a door to one of the many broom closets in the castle. 

“I swear to God, Severus, if you’ve just brought me to a broom closet for a laugh, I’m going to kick you so hard you’ll never have children,” Narcissa threatened, anger flaring up in her blue eyes. 

“Jesus, Narcissa, relax!” He gave her a wary look, subtly taking a step away from her. “Lily must be here already.” Why he thought that, Narcissa couldn’t guess. Flicking his wand at her, and then himself, Severus Finite’d their Notice-Me-Not charms. He grinned at her. “Ladies first,” he said smoothly, opening the door for her with a flourish. 

Though her jaw didn’t drop, Narcissa did raise a delicate brow in surprise when she stepped in. It wasn’t gold or producing vials of liquid luck, but it could hardly be called a _classroom_. There were grand windows overlooking the forest along one wall, and warm, yellow sunlight poured in across the honey-colored wooden floors. To her right was a mostly empty space, with a padded floor and some cushions strewn across the ground. To her left was a mini-library and a little sitting area, with bookshelves that went to the ceiling, all filled with ancient leather spines. Sitting with her legs thrown over the side of one of the plush, brown leather armchairs, pouring over a book, was Lily Evans. 

Evans looked up when Narcissa stepped inside. Closing the heavy tome she’d been reading, Evans swung her legs over the side, stood, and bounded over to greet her, a bright smile lighting up her heart-shaped face. 

“Hi!” she chirped, far more friendly than Narcissa was used to. “I’m Lily- Sev has told me so much about you!” She held out a hand for Narcissa to shake. 

 _Sev?_ Narcissa’s blue eyes slid to ‘Sev’s’ face, then back to Evans. “All good things, I hope,” she said, taking Evans’ hand. It was thin, but warm and soft-skinned. “My name is Narcissa Black.” 

“Of course all good things! He’d never get away with bad-mouthing people around me,” she said, releasing Narcissa’s hand. Evans sat again, curling her legs up onto the armchair. Narcissa, suddenly feeling a bit out of her comfort zone, hesitated. Evans looked up at her, red hair made a burning flame by the sunlight. “You can sit, I don’t bite,” she teased, a half-smile lingering around her mouth. 

Narcissa sat on the other armchair primly, feeling out of place as Severus sprawled out on the couch. How could they be so comfortable around each other? She felt…awkward, which was not something Narcissa normally felt, _ever._ She’d always been cool, aloof, elegant, a powerful girl from a powerful family. None of that mattered here, she could already tell. It had always mattered before, in the Slytherin common rooms- no one approached her, not even Severus most days. This was decidedly different. 

“So,” Evans said, propping her elbow up on her armrest and leaning towards Narcissa. “What made you finally agree to study with us? Sev tells me every year that he’s been nagging you-“ (“I’m not a nag!” Severus protested from his couch.) “-and I didn’t think this year would be any different. Why now?” 

Narcissa blinked in surprise at her bluntness. Nobody in Slytherin would dare be that straightforward with her, not even Severus, who was by and large Narcissa’s only friend. Intentions had to be wrangled out of people, because everyone knew they wouldn’t be given up easily. 

“I…” she began delicately, then stopped. How could she do this without sounding like one of Severus’ crazy friends? “My sisters were still in school at the time,” she finally said. “My family isn’t very tolerant, you might say, of muggleborns. If word had gotten back to my parents that I was studying with you…” 

“Why don’t you stand up to them?” Evans asked, raising a ginger brow at her. “If you’re so alright with us lower class citizens, why not say something?” Narcissa’s jaw did drop, this time. The thought of standing up to her parents like that…

“Lily,” Severus warned, giving Evans a sharp look. “Don’t-“ 

“Jesus, Sev, let me talk to her before you start on that tone of voice,” Evans snapped at him. 

“Just-“ 

“It’s alright,” Narcissa said, voice cool. “I don’t mind, Severus- really, don’t give me that look, it’s not as if everyone else in the school doesn’t know what my parents are like.” Narcissa wasn’t used to being so candid with anyone, but she felt compelled to explain herself for once in her life. She turned toward Evans, keeping her blue gaze steady. “You have obviously not heard of the Blacks obsession with blood purity, so I will tell you a little about it, if only to stop you from accusing me of not being pro-active against my family. Our family motto is Toujours Pur- it means always pure. My father is Cygnus Black, and my mother is Druella Black, nee Rosier. Both of them are from very aggressively blood purist families. Both of them are _insane_ , and they have no love for my sisters and me. My eldest sister, Andromeda, married a Muggle-born this summer- my mother nearly killed her driving her off the property. Andy…” a small lump formed in Narcissa’s throat, but she swallowed it and pressed on. “Andy was the only one of us who dared to ever stand up to them. Bellatrix and I, we couldn’t, but Andy was the bravest of us. Anytime she spoke back at them, threw anything they’d done to us in their faces, she would be punished. I will spare you the details-“ Narcissa didn’t think Evans was quite ready to hear about her sister’s blood painting the floor of the dining room some nights, “-but rest assured, standing up to my parents is nothing like standing up to normal parents.” 

Evans was silent, biting her lip in clear remorse. She cleared her throat, tucked a strand of red hair behind her ears. Severus was staring at his hands. Narcissa knew his father was something like her own, but more active in his punishments and anger. 

“I…I’m sorry,” Evans said, twirling a long strand of hair between her fingers nervously. “I didn’t realize- I thought…I thought maybe they were like Black’s parents.” 

“I’m assuming you mean my darling cousin, Sirius,” Narcissa said drily. “My parents and his are similar, though you might not believe it. Sirius Black is just as punished by his parents as Andy was, perhaps more so considering he’s in Gryffindor. He’s braver than us, is all.” 

“Brave my arse,” Severus muttered, but Narcissa ignored him. She couldn’t help who her family was.

“Anyhow,” Narcissa drawled, feeling the need to clear the air of the awkward heaviness that pervaded them. “What on _earth_ is this room, and why didn’t you tell me about it before, Severus?” 

“This is the Room of Requirement,” Evans said, happy to latch onto another subject topic. “We found it, what, third year? Filch was after us and a room just _appeared!_ As far as we can tell, nobody else knows about it. Not even the Headmaster.” 

“And this room can become, what? Just this room? Or other things, too?” Narcissa questioned, gazing around the room in wonder. 

“Anything!” Evans nodded excitedly. “I’ve been trying to figure out whats charms make this thing work for years, but it’s just too advanced,” she sighed, flopping her head against the back of her chair. 

“I’ll bet Flitwick could figure it out,” Narcissa said speculatively, looking around the room. Could it turn into a pool? Could it mimic the outdoors? What were its limits? “But any teachers finding out about this room would be terrible,” Narcissa decided. “They’d close it to student access somehow.” 

“Exactly,” Evans nodded fervently. “It’s such a brilliant spot, I don’t want to give it up!” 

“But you’re okay with me invading your personal study area?” Narcissa questioned, quirking a brow at the other girl. 

“Well, sure,” Evans shrugged. “Sev is okay with you, so you’re okay with me, too. Although, he also seems to be okay with that guy Mulciber, so I don’t know what I was thinking there.” 

“I know, right?” Narcissa exclaimed, starting to feel a bit more comfortable around Evans. Lily? Were they on a first name basis? How did Gryffindors _do_ this? “You know exactly where they’ll end up after graduation.” 

“I know,” Evans said darkly, twirling her wand between her fingers. “Seriously, Sev, I don’t get it, what do you see in those guys?” 

“They’re nice to me,” he defended himself, not looking too comfortable with the idea of his two only female friends ganging up against him. “It’s not like I _agree_ with them!” 

Evans rolled her eyes. 

“I can have other friends, Lily, you two don’t have a claim over me or anything,” he snapped, looking angry.

 “She’s not mad you have other friends, dolt, she’s mad you have prejudiced friends- prejudiced against _her,_ mind you,” Narcissa said cooly. 

“Yeah!” Evans said, crossing her arms. “I don’t care if you’ve got other friends, Sev, it’s not like that.” 

“Whatever,” he grumbled, sitting up on the couch. “Can we start studying now? I don’t like this, ‘Let’s-Gang-Up-On-Severus’ thing going on.”

“Alright, fine,” Evans huffed, reaching for her bag and rummaging through it to pull out a scroll of parchment and a self-inking quill. She began to go on about what she was going to write for her History essay, and, reaching for her own bag to get her things out, Narcissa thought, ‘This might not be _so_ bad after all.’


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> chapter 2, monday as promised! by the way, you can hmu at @ harryjamespottertm on tumblr if u wanna talk about narlily or literally Any femslash pairing im desperate here

Lily Evans didn’t need to be told twice it was of the utmost importance that Narcissa had joined their study sessions remain a secret. There had been a far away darkness in the other girl’s blue eyes when she’d told Lily about her parents. It had twisted something inside her chest, to hear Narcissa say her parents didn’t love her. What parent didn’t love their child? Especially a child as bright as Narcissa must have been, the girl could match her wit for wit in any subject, Lily knew. 

Of course, Lily had already known that Narcissa was smart. She was quiet in classes, but was always one of the first to get a spell right and when nobody else had an answer to a complicated question, Narcissa could give one. Those moments were some of the few times Lily had heard Narcissa speak before their study sessions began. She’d been curious about the other girl from the first time Severus had mentioned her offhandedly in their First year (“Narcissa’s been nice- you’ve seen her before, blonde girl in our year-“) and had quietly watched her over the years. Narcissa had a face that people’s eyes lingered over, all delicate angles and blue eyes and white blonde hair pulled back in a satin ribbon. 

When Severus told her that Narcissa had finally agreed to study with them, Lily had been secretly ecstatic. Nobody really knew anything about Narcissa, and Lily wanted desperately to be close with her. It didn’t seem like Narcissa had many friends, and Lily was nothing if not a bleeding hearted Gryffindor who wanted everyone to feel loved. Narcissa had warmed to her a little bit over the past week or so, but still called her Evans instead of Lily. _Like James Potter does_ , Lily thought, scowling at the sudden reminder of Gryffindor's most annoying prick. 

Lily shook her head, pushing thoughts of Narcissa and Potter out of her mind. She was laying on one of the couches in the Gryffindor common room, having finished her homework earlier that day with Narcissa and Severus. It had been a nice, peaceful evening. Narcissa had asked her, with a bit of halting vulnerability, to send a letter to her sister for her. Lily, surprised, had agreed without questioning it very much and took it up to the Owlery after their study session ended. She’d figured that if Narcissa was seen sending a school owl rather than her own owl out with a letter, someone might have wondered what she was up to. Narcissa’s family situation baffled Lily to an extreme, but she didn’t push any questions about it considering how their first talk had gone. She still felt guilty about that. 

Lily sat up with a scowl. No matter what she did, she couldn’t help her thoughts drifting to Narcissa. _'You hardly know her that well,'_ Lily thought, irritated at herself for not being able to stop thinking about the other girl. Forcefully shoving all thoughts of the blonde and study sessions from her mind, Lily let her eyes roam around the common room, looking for someone to have a chat with. Potter and Pettigrew were playing a game of Exploding Snap across the room, Black was watching idly, Remus was nearby on an armchair laughing at something Marlene had said to him. Black looked back at Remus’ laugh and his eyes darkened at the sight of Marlene. Lily’s lips twitched. It was obvious to her, and had been for some time now, that Black had a crush on Remus. And Lily was fairly certain Remus liked him, too. Marlene was her friend though, and to save her from Black’s wrath Lily waved the other girl over. 

“Finished with your homework early as always, Lils?” Marlene asked, her enormous curls bouncing as she flopped down onto the sofa with her.  

“Of course,” Lily replied, grinning. “If I didn’t finish early, how would we have time to sneak down to Hogsmeade every other night?” 

Marlene smiled, dark eyes glittering, but shushed her. “Don’t let those boys hear,” she whispered, “they’ll want to come with us, and I really don’t feel like spending my evenings with a bunch of idiots.” 

Lily laughed. “Remus isn’t so bad,” she said, eyeing her friend speculatively, “but the rest can rot, you’re right.” 

“Interested in Remus?” Marlene teased. “You’ll have to claw your way past Sirius to get at him, you know.” 

“You noticed it, too!” Lily exclaimed, sitting up abruptly. “I called you over here to save you from his death glare!” 

“I was testing it!” Marlene laughed. “What do you think of them?” 

Lily shrugged. “I think they should just get over themselves and get together already. Black practically froths at the mouth whenever a girl is within five feet of Remus.” 

“Remember when Sirius went out with that Ravenclaw, Emmeline, for a week? Remus was so upset he hardly spoke at all.” 

Lily leaned against Marlene, happy to be gossiping with one of her best friends rather than ruminating over a certain blonde Slytherin girl. “Do wizards have…issues with that, like Muggles do? Is that why they’re so hesitant to get together?” Marlene was a half-blood, but she’d been raised mostly in the wizarding world. Lily was fairly certain she would know.

“Issues like what?” Marlene asked, confusion lacing her voice. “Like jealousy?” 

“No,” Lily said, drawing out the word and fingering a piece of her long red hair. “Like…wizards being together. Or witches.” 

“Oh!” Marlene’s eyebrows shot up her forehead. “No, not really. I’ve heard of it being an issue in the Soviet Union with the oldest families, but not anywhere else.” Marlene paused. “Why? Are you…?” 

“No!” Lily said quickly, sitting up and away from Marlene. “No- I was just wondering.” 

Marlene looked at her from a moment, a question in her eyes. Lily smiled weakly, shaking her head. “No,” she repeated. “I was worried for Remus, is all. He’s not exactly in good health to begin with, and if people had a problem with him and Sirius, they might…I don’t know, hex him or something.” 

Marlene shrugged, but the suspicion had left her eyes. “That won’t be the problem. The problem will be them getting together in the first place.” 

Lily was quiet for a moment, and then a grin spread slowly across her face. “We could find a way to get them together, I’m sure,” Lily said innocently. “Hogsmeade weekend coming up- what do you think?” 

“Who asks who?” Marlene eyed the two boys, who were talking now. Black had laid his dark head on the lap of Lupin’s armchair and was talking animatedly about something. Lupin, for his part, had shifted to make room for Black’s invasive actions and was leaning down slightly to hear him better, eyes glued to his face. 

Lily thought for a moment. “I’ll ask Sirius,” she decided. “You ask Remus, it’ll make Sirius angrier.” 

“Is that a good idea? Sirius and James are best friends.” 

“Potter can rot,” Lily scoffed. “Black can too, for all I care, but I want Remus to be happy.” 

“And what will Snape say?” 

Lily faltered. What _would_ Sev say? She would have to be blind to not see he was interested in her, and Black was downright mean to him. She watched Sirius laugh at something Remus had said- he was handsome enough, though not as good-looking as his cousin was. “I’ll talk to him beforehand, yeah? See if he’s okay with it before I ask Sirius.” 

Marlene nodded. “Got it. And after we get Remus and Sirius together, we’ll set you up with someone.” 

“What?” Lily exclaimed, turning to her friend with wide eyes. “No, we will not. I’m not interested in anyone.” 

“Come off it, you’ve come back from those study sessions looking way happier than normal!” Marlene exclaimed. “It’s like someone hit you with a Cheering Charm!” 

Potter looked over curiously and Lily glared at him until he looked away. “Keep your voice down,” Lily hissed. “I don’t like anyone.” 

“Snape’s been interested in you for _years,_ Lily, almost as long as James has been!” Marlene continued, though she’d lowered her voice. “Who then, if not James or Snape?” 

Lily shook her head. Marlene didn’t get it. “I’m not interested in anyone,” she insisted. “If I was, I would tell you, cross my heart.” 

Marlene stared at her mutinously for a few seconds, then nodded reluctantly. “Fine,” she said. “I believe you. But I want to know why you’re in such a good mood lately.” 

Lily faltered. She couldn’t tell, it wasn’t her secret to give. “Someone else has been studying with Severus and I. We’ve been getting on, is all. It’s nice to not end up arguing with Sev about something stupid, it’s been more…peaceful.” 

“Who’s joined you?” Marlene whispered, eyes wide with curiosity. “I won’t tell, you know I won’t.” Marlene held up a hand, pinkie extended. “Pinkie promise, like you told me Muggles do?” 

“I promised not to tell anyone,” Lily whispered back. “I’m sorry, Mar, but she could get in trouble.” 

“So it’s a she,” Marlene nodded decisively. “Don’t worry Lily, I won’t make you tell me, but I _will_ guess who it is.” 

Lily didn’t doubt that. Marlene was clever, and honestly, Sev was only known for hanging out with two girls: Narcissa and herself. But, if Marlene did figure it out, Lily was confident that she wouldn’t breathe a word of it to anyone.

“So Hogsmeade, tonight?” Lily asked hopefully. She and Marlene made a habit of sneaking down through the Honeydukes cellar to wander around around Hogsmeade town. They'd found the passageway by chance in their third year and had each agreed not to show anyone else without the other's express permission. It was nice to be able to take a walk around the village together, away from Hogwarts hustle and bustle. They often stopped at the Three Broomsticks for a butterbeer or hot chocolate and stopped into some of the little shops that stayed open later in the day.

“Of course!” Marlene grinned. “What time?” 

Lily checked her watch. Half past six. “We could go now,” she suggested. “It’s not curfew yet, so we can walk to the passageway uncovered.” 

“Perfect!” Marlene said, jumping up. “Let’s go, I’ve been dying for some of Honeydukes’ toffee!”

* * *

Hogsmeade was lovely at night. Floating candles lit up the streets, casting a comforting glow on the cozy little town. Shop windows were bright and cheery, displaying their goods in warm candlelight. Witches and wizards roamed the streets, laughing with each other, not paying any attention to the two girls drinking butterbeer as they strolled through the town. Marlene had gotten her toffee. Lily had gotten some toffee too, as well as some sugar quills, a few caramels, crystallized pineapple (for herself, as much as Marlene like to tease that she was sucking up to Slughorn), and a little tin of peanut brittle. She had an unshakable sweet tooth, much to the dismay of her childhood dentists. 

It was nice to walk around and just chat and laugh with Marlene without worrying about getting to her next class, or whether Potter would try to chat her up again, or if Sev had _really_ gotten mixed up in the Dark Arts, or if Narcissa was lonely in the Slytherin common room. Lily shoved the sudden thought of Narcissa, sitting alone at a table or in her dorm, with only Sev and his horrible friends to talk to. It wasn’t as if she could bring Narcissa down to Hogsmeade with her and Marlene, she told herself. She couldn’t spend her nights worrying herself sick about the other girl, it wasn’t healthy. Thus, Lily made a conscious effort to keep Narcissa off her mind and was particularly chatty for the rest of their walk. 

They trekked back to Honeydukes, sleepy and happy. It was as Lily was debating buying some butterbeer for the journey back to the castle that she saw two witches exit The Three Broomsticks, arm in arm. They were laughing, the candlelight casting a warm glow across their faces as they locked loving eyes. The taller witch bent down to kiss the shorter one and Lily could see the smile break across her face as she reciprocated. Something tight drew up in her chest. They were in love, she could tell. It was beautiful. 

“You like that girl, don’t you?” Marlene asked, drawing Lily’s attention back to her. 

Lily blinked at the sudden reminder she wasn’t alone. Her face heated up and she broke her gaze from the two women. They’d slowed down as they passed them, and Lily sped her pace, determinedly looking away from the witches. “What?” 

“That girl, whoever it is you’re studying with. You like her?” 

“She’s nice enough,” Lily shrugged, though ‘nice’ didn’t quite encompass Narcissa. 

“Not what I meant,” Marlene said, raising an eyebrow at her. “You said you’d tell me if you liked someone!”

“I would!” Lily said, eyebrows knitted together in confusion. “What on earth are you talking about?” 

Marlene opened and closed her mouth, then looked at her consideringly. “Never mind,” she said, a small smile playing around her mouth. “Come on, let’s get back to the castle.” 

Lily, a bit lost by the sudden change of subject, just nodded and followed her to Honeydukes. “Alright. But I’m doing the Disillusionment Charm this time! We almost got caught by Filch last week when you did it.” 

Marlene just laughed.

* * *

 

“Talk to Snape tomorrow, about asking Sirius to Hogsmeade,” Marlene reminded her as they re-entered the Gryffindor Common Room. It was empty save for Peter reading on the couch, who raised an eyebrow at Lily. 

“Prefect, out after curfew? What would Remus say?” he teased. 

“Nothing,” Lily said, fishing a bottle of butterbeer out of her bag and tossing it to him. “Because you’re not gonna tell him, yeah?” 

Peter saluted her. “Aye, aye, Evans.” 

She and Marlene made their way up to their dormitory. Dorcas and Alice were already asleep. 

“G’night Lily,” Marlene called, slipping into her bed. 

“Night, Mar,” Lily replied, getting into her own. “I’ll talk to Sev t’mrow.” 

“Perfect,” Marlene mumbled, falling asleep almost as soon as her head hit pillow. Lily took the cue from her friend, and followed suit.

* * *

The next day, she and Sev went down by the lake to enjoy one of the last warm Fridays of the year. September was about to bleed into October, and though the sun was shining, there was an occasional breeze with a chilly bite to it that said the sun would soon disappear behind the clouds for the winter months. 

“So,” Lily said, as they trekked across the sprawling lawn down to the far side of the lake. They passed dozens of other students, all sprawled out in the sun to soak up the last days of summer. “Marlene and I were thinking of doing something, but I wanted to run it by you first.” 

Severus raised an eyebrow at her. “Not like you to ask my permission for something,” he grinned. “What’s this thing you want to do?” 

“We-ell,” Lily drew out her words. “I’m sure you’ve noticed how angry Black gets whenever a girl is near Remus.” 

“And how Lupin gets mopey when Black sees someone for a few days, yes, everyone’s seen that,” Severus said. “How’s here? Not too much shade, not too much sun?” They stopped under a big oak tree. 

“Perfect,” Lily said, sitting down and sprawling back in the grass. The sun soaked through her robes and she pulled them off, leaving her in her school uniform. “Anyway, everyone in the Gryffindor common room is getting pretty sick of them making eyes at each other when the other isn’t looking, and Marlene and I think enough’s enough, yeah?”

“Okay,” Severus said, raising an eyebrow at her. “What’s this got to do with me?” 

“Well,” she replied delicately. “Marlene is going to ask Remus to Hogsmeade, to make Sirius jealous…”

Severus stared at her for a moment, then narrowed his eyes. “And you’re going to ask Black?” 

“If you’re okay with it!” Lily said quickly, trying to halt any angry words before they happened. “I know you hate him- I don’t blame you, I’m not fond of him either-“ 

Severus held up a hand. “Easy, Lily,” he said. “I don’t care if you ask Black to Hogsmeade. It’ll be funny to see him all riled up about McKinnon and Lupin, plus Potter will be in a twist because you asked Black.” He paused. “So long as you don’t actually like him…” he said. 

“I don’t,” Lily laughed. “Nor Potter, before you ask. As if I could ever like that toe-rag…no, I don’t like anyone at the moment, Severus.” 

“Would you tell me if you did?” he wondered, raising an eyebrow at her. 

“Would you be upset if I didn’t?” she retorted, rolling onto her stomach and propping herself up on her elbows. They were dangerously close to a territory she didn’t want to get into with him. She loved him, yes, but as a friend and nothing more. Anxiety rippled in her stomach.

He was silent for a moment, his dark eyes contemplating the bright green leaves above him. “I would be happy that you told me, no matter who it was, besides…well you already know the besides. We’re friends, Lily.” He met her eyes after a beat. “I know that.” 

Her heart felt stuck in her throat and she smiled so hard her face hurt. She wouldn’t have to go through that horrible, uncomfortableness of rejecting him. “Best friends,” she corrected him. “For life, if it’s possible.” 

“For life,” he echoed, grinning at her. 

Lily laid back down on the grass and set her chin on her forearms. Across the lawn, she could see a familiar blonde head reading under a tree alone. A group of Slytherin girls in their year were sitting right beside her, but none of them were speaking to Narcissa- only to each other. 

That was that, then, Lily thought. Narcissa didn’t have other friends in Slytherin house. Acquaintances, by the looks of it, but she and Severus might be it. 

“I wish Narcissa could sit with us,” she said quietly. “It’s sad that she can’t. I’d curse her parents sideways for her if I could. Yours, too.” 

Severus nodded slowly. “I wish she could, too. But she can’t.” 

Lily tore her eyes from the blonde Slytherin, smiled a little sadly, and said, “I know.”


	3. Chapter 3

Their study sessions continued on bi-weekly basis. Every Tuesday and Thursday, the three of them would meet in the Room of Requirement to do their homework and chat. As the weeks went on and September slipped into October, Narcissa slowly relaxed around Lily. The other girl was…something. She was bright, clever, _sweet_ even! Beautiful, too, not that it mattered, but Narcissa had a heart that craved beauty in everything. It was hard to ignore how absolutely lovely the other girl was. Like a green-eyed fire, Narcissa had thought once, when the sunlight had lit up Lily’s hair into a flaming halo. 

Lily. She’d begun to think of her as such, rather than Evans. It seemed appropriate now, given that Lily had sent her letter to her sister for her, and then passed on the reply without a question. Narcissa was grateful for that. Andy had been ecstatic to receive a letter from her and Narcissa had nearly teared up at the reply, addressed to ‘Cissa-mine’. 

However, today would be the real test. Severus had gotten detention for some incident or other involving Mulciber and a mouthy, sixth year Ravenclaw twat who couldn’t keep from spouting off about Severus’ poor background. She and Lily would be alone, together. 

Narcissa nibbled on her bottom lip as she climbed higher and higher into the castle. Part of her was eager- over eager, really- to be alone with Lily and be able to chat without Severus between them as a buffer, but another part of her was a bit afraid. What if, without Severus, they had nothing in common? They had completely different backgrounds, Houses, experiences. Something in her chest clenched tight at the thought. She _wanted_ to have things in common with Lily. The truth was that Narcissa had been alone, for a very long time. She’d liked it that way for a while. Nobody bothered her nor spoke to her besides a cordial nod and some polite small talk. However, over the last few weeks, she’d found it was refreshing, enjoyable, to have friends. And even _nicer_ to have a girl-who-was-her-friend. Severus was her friend, but not like Lily was; he understood parts of her, but he could never grasp at everything else. Girls got to giggle together, share heartaches together, gripe over how annoying men were together. She couldn’t imagine _giggling_ with Severus, and if Narcissa ever told him she was frustrated at how boys and men treated her, he wouldn’t understand. 

When she came to the Room, she smiled to herself- Lily was already there, judging by the nondescript door in front of her. Looking around, she cancelled her Disillusionment charm and stepped inside the room. Lily was seated in her customary armchair, and looked up with a wide smile when she walked in. “Hey!” she greeted, closing the book in her lap and tossing it to the side. “How’s your day been?” 

“Hello, yourself,” Narcissa said, and took Severus’ couch for once. She kicked off her shoes, threw her outer robe over the empty armchair with Lily’s, rolled up her sleeves, and laid herself out. Over the past few weeks, Narcissa had relaxed around the two of them. It was very different, being able to fully relax around other people, but she enjoyed it immensely. “It was alright. Same old, same old.” She paused. “I wrote Andy another letter,” she said, sounding sheepish. _Sheepish!_ Narcissa was never sheepish- she was cool and lofty. 

“I’d be happy to owl it for you,” Lily said and Narcissa could hear the sincerity in her voice. “I don’t mind, Narcissa, really- we’re friends.” 

Something in Narcissa’s chest loosened and she smiled, a real and warm smile, at Lily. “Thank you, Lily,” she said quietly. 

The other girl’s face did something funny. Her soft, sweet smile dropped momentarily into an O of surprise before it blossomed into a full-blown grin. Narcissa knew she’d noticed the usage of her first name. 

“You’ve never told me about your family,” Narcissa said abruptly, uncomfortable suddenly at how glad Lily’s smile had made her. “I was thinking about that earlier. I’ve never asked about them.” She rolled onto her side to look at Lily. The other girl had taken on her customary position of lounging with her legs thrown over the side of the armchair, back almost flat against the seat of the chair. Her skirt had rumpled up and ridden up over the tops of her white knee socks. Involuntarily, her eyes followed the long line of her legs, and she forced them back to Lily’s face when she began to speak. 

“Well,” Lily said, “I live with my parents up north, near Severus, actually, we met before Hogwarts! He told me I was a witch.” Narcissa ignored the brief flame of jealousy that they’d been friends for so long. “I’ve got an older sister, Petunia. She’s…not too fond of magic. We don’t talk much because of it.” Lily bit her lip. 

“I’m sorry,” Narcissa said quietly. She didn’t know what she would do without her sisters. “That’s awful.” 

Lily shook her head. “She’s jealous that I can do magic, and she can’t. Petunia’s practically a genius, knows three languages, she’s getting a degree in political science, but my parents…they’re not fair about the way they treat her. They’re proud of her, but they…they don’t fawn over her, I guess, like they do me.” 

Political science. What did that even mean? Narcissa had no idea, but she thought now wasn’t the time to ask. There was so much she didn’t know about the Muggle world. “Maybe _you_ should fawn over her,” Narcissa suggested. “Tell her you’re proud of her. It sounds like she needs it from someone.” 

Lily nodded consideringly. “I should. I can write her the Muggle way, and have it delivered that way so she doesn’t feel like I’m showing off with magic, or something.” 

“Yeah! They have a shop for that in Hogsmeade, don’t they?” 

Lily nodded absently. “I’ll do that tonight,” she decided. 

“Write the letter?” Narcissa asked. The Hogsmeade trip wasn’t until Saturday and it was only Tuesday. 

“No, I’ll go down to Hogsmeade tonight,” Lily replied, still sounding quite far away. “Do you think she would talk to me again?” 

“I- yes, you’re _sisters_ , sisters stick together. What on earth do you mean you’ll go down to Hogsmeade tonight?” Narcissa demanded, propping herself up on her elbows. “How would you manage that?” 

Lily looked guilty for a moment, then masked that look with one of innocence. “I must have misspoken.” 

Narcissa gasped. “You’ve been sneaking down to Hogsmeade!” 

Lily nodded, looking sheepish. “Marlene and I go every couple of nights. It’s nice to get away from the castle.” She paused, then blurted out, “Come with me!” 

Narcissa started. Go with her, to Hogsmeade? That was dangerous. It wasn’t exactly a safe world these days; there was a civil war going on out outside of their castle walls.

“That doesn’t seem safe, Lily, what if you get hurt?” Narcissa worried. “There’s a war going on out there.” 

“No attacks on Hogsmeade,” Lily argued, a mischievous gleam in her green eyes. “There’ve never been! It’s too close to the school- to Dumbledore.” 

That was true, Narcissa would concede to that. But…

“No attacks _yet,_ ” Narcissa said darkly. “How do you even get there?” 

“There’s a secret passageway under the witch statue on the third floor,” Lily said excitedly. “It leads right to Honeydukes cellar. Marlene and I went Saturday and Sunday night, I know she wouldn’t be keen to stay out so late again so soon.” 

Narcissa laid back, chewing on her bottom lip. It would be nice to spend time with Lily outside of this room. It would be nice to go to Hogsmeade with somebody for once, and not alone while surrounded by dozens of kids laughing with each other. Narcissa seldom had someone to laugh with. She tapped her fingers absently against the soft leather couch in thought.

“No one from Hogwarts would see us?” she worried. 

“No one,” Lily promised. “Nobody even talks to us in the village. Everyone minds their own business.” 

“Then I’ll go,” Narcissa decided. 

“Great!” Lily said, twisting and leaning over the side of her chair to fish something out of her schoolbag. It looked like a journal, but had a metal spiral spine holding the pages together, and there was something long and white in the middle of the spiral. 

“What on Earth is _that?_ ” Narcissa questioned, leaning forward to get a better look at it. Lily pulled the long white tube out of the spiral and opened the journal. She pushed in a small button on the bottom of the tube, and a tiny, rounded metal rod popped out the front. 

“It’s a notebook and a pen,” Lily said, sounding amused. “Muggles use notebooks to write in, pens are…quills, basically, but there’s ink already inside.” 

Curious despite herself, Narcissa stood up and knelt next to Lily’s armchair. Her long, red hair tickled at Narcissa’s bare arm. Ignoring her proximity to the other, very pretty girl, she reached hesitantly for the pen. “Can I try it?” she asked, trying to disguise the eagerness in her voice. Muggle things were hard to come by in the wizard world, and she’d always wondered about the things they used. 

“Sure,” Lily said, offering the pen to her. Narcissa took it, and their fingers brushed for just a half-second, but it was probably the first human contact Narcissa’d had since shaking Lily’s hand. She plucked the notebook deftly from Lily’s hand, letting their hands brush again. Three times, she’d touched Lily Evans. 

“Thank you,” she said. “It already has ink, you said?” The pen was slim, but thicker than a quill was and Narcissa had to adjust her grip a few times before it was comfortable.

“Mhm,” Lily said, amusement coloring her voice. “Just press the pen to the paper and write like you would a quill, sort of.” 

Narcissa tried it. It was odd- the tip wasn’t made to dip into ink, and didn’t flex like a quill nib would. It was nowhere near as smooth as a quill, either, dragging across the page with a slight resistance that made it difficult for Narcissa to get the hang of her usual, flowing writing. _Muggles are geniuses_ , she wrote on the first line, and grimaced at her handwriting. It was nothing near as pretty as her quill calligraphy was. “I’m not good at it,” she said, trying again and writing, _Narcissa Callisto Black._

“Callisto?” Lily questioned. “You really got the astronomy names, huh? Mine’s Jane.”

Narcissa nodded, absently scribbling. “All Blacks do,” she said. “It’s tradition.” _Lily Jane Evans_ , she wrote out. 

“So is blood purism,” Lily pointed out. There was no malice in her tone, but guilt bloomed in Narcissa’s chest regardless.

“Some traditions are less violent and hateful than others,” Narcissa allowed, handing her the notebook and pen back. “I’m sorry, that we can’t be seen together. I wish we could.” She rested her blonde head against the armchair and looked up at Lily, wondering (not for the first time) what Lily really thought of their situation. Was she resentful? Narcissa didn’t think ‘resentment’ really fell in Lily’s nature, but how could she know? She’d known the girl for a few weeks.

“I wish we could, too,” Lily said, brushing her hand briefly against Narcissa’s as she took the notebook back. Four times, Narcissa mentally tallied in her head. “But I understand, and I’m not angry at you that we can’t. Angry at your parents, of course, but not you.” 

Narcissa smiled a little sadly. “It’s nice to have a friend, even if I can’t hang out with you outside this room. And sneaking out to Hogsmeade, apparently.” 

Lily grinned. “Glad to be your friend, gal. And don’t worry, Hogsmeade will be fun! I’ll drop the letter off, grab us some Butterbeers, and we can take a stroll.” 

Narcissa smiled hesitantly back. Lily smiled so brightly and so often- everyone in Slytherin constantly wore a mask of boredom or a smug look or something else not so happy. Narcissa usually favored bored indifference, and smiling so often in these short periods of time had left a strange ache in cheeks. It was different, but refreshing, to be smiled at, and Lily had an especially pretty smile. Although, her mother would disagree- she could practically hear Druella’s shrill voice scolding, ‘Smiling causes wrinkles!’ Her mother would disagree with Lily about many things, Narcissa thought, watching the other girl nibble at her lip as she held the pen poised over paper, but she supposed that was why she liked Lily so much.

Narcissa stood to give Lily her privacy in writing the letter and laid back out on the couch as Lily began her to write. Narcissa didn’t have much homework, just a bit of Transfiguration, and she finished that up as Lily penned her note to Petunia. She hoped Lily’s older sister would come around- sisters were _sisters_. How could there be anything but love there? 

About half an hour and a few crumpled pieces of paper later, Lily sat up, and said, “I think I’ve got it.” 

Narcissa lifted her head from the armrest of the couch. Lily was already standing, letter clenched in white fingers- she was more nervous than she let on. “I’ve just finished my Transfiguration. Do you want to go now?” 

Lily nodded decisively. “Before I lose my nerve. You ready?” 

“You can’t lose your nerve, you’re a Gryffindor,” Narcissa retorted. “You’re made of nerve. Let me put my shoes and robe back on and we can go.” She redressed hurriedly, made sure her clothes were in order, and then turned to Lily. “Do I look alright?” 

“You always look good,” Lily replied automatically, even as a blush crept up her cheeks. “I mean…yeah, you look nice, Narcissa.” 

Narcissa suppressed a smile. ‘She’s cute when she’s flustered,’ she thought to herself absently as Lily Disillusioned her. Suddenly, she was glad her face was hidden- she had a flush to match Lily’s. It wasn’t anything to be embarrassed about, she told herself. Lily was pretty, anyone with eyes could see that. Potter and Severus certainly did, along with half the school. She was just observant. 

A hand closed around hers. Narcissa flinched, nearly jerking her hand away. 

“So we don’t lose each other,” said a disembodied voice. Lily had Disillusioned herself while Narcissa was wrapped up in her head. Six times, she thought to herself, then violently shoved that thought away.

Lily led her down through Hogwarts to the third floor, just beside the Defence classroom. A statue of a one-eyed witch was there, innocuous as always. Narcissa had barely paid attention to it before now, but Lily whispered, “ _Dissendium_ ,” and the witch’s hump opened up just enough for a small person to squeeze through to a passageway below. 

“I’ll go first,” Lily whispered. Her breath tickled Narcissa’s ear and she swallowed. 

“Alright,” she whispered back, half breathless.

 Lily let go of her hand and, after a few moments of shuffling, called to Narcissa, “Your turn!” 

Narcissa hesitantly climbed up on the statue and slipped inside the small opening. She landed on stone about six feet below the opening. 

“Lumos!” Lily said, and the passageway flooded with light. It illuminated the wet, grimy walls and Narcissa wrinkled her nose. 

“Oh, isn’t this…quaint,” she managed, lifting her robe a few inches off the ground to avoid the dirty water.

“Ready to go, Cissa?” Lily asked. Her voice had a teasing lilt; she’d obviously picked Narcissa’s discomfort at being anywhere less than pristine. “It’s not exactly a lavish manor corridor, but we can’t expect Hogwarts to cater to its delinquent students, can we?” 

Narcissa scowled, and replied loftily, “Of course not. Lead the way, Lily J.” 

Lily laughed, and the light moved forward. Each girl was still Disillusioned. “My parents call me Lilyflower,” she said. “I’ve never gotten Lily J before.”

“My sisters call me Cissa,” Narcissa countered. “I like it, though. You can use it, too.” 

“I’m glad,” Lily said. They continued their walk to Hogsmeade, chatting and laughing as they went. It felt so natural, Narcissa thought, to be around Lily. Everything about her seemed right. 

They reached Hogsmeade with no trouble, and climbed up through Honeydukes cellar, sneaking through the store into the open streets. Couples and groups of friends, families with toddlers, were all walking around Hogsmeade. It was so unlike a typical Hogsmeade weekend that Narcissa felt completely fine strolling around in the open with a Muggleborn, unworried that someone would see. Who cared? Her parents were far, far away in Wiltshire, completely removed from this little Highland village. Lily had removed their charms in an alley off of Hogsmeade and then looped their arms together while they walked for the post shop. Nobody paid them any mind, even inside the shop, and Narcissa couldn’t help but feel free. 

“This is nice,” Narcissa said, as they walked to the Three Broomsticks. “I like spending time with you.” 

“I like spending time with you, too,” Lily said, smiling over at Narcissa. “What do you think of Hogsmeade without all the students cramming it up?”

The sun had begun to set, throwing a pink-gold-orange light all over the town. It lit up Lily’s hair like a fire, turning the strands around her face into a yellowy halo. She was so pretty, so warm. Narcissa’s chest ached.

“It’s wonderful,” Narcissa managed, bumping her shoulder against Lily’s. What was wrong with her? Lily was gorgeous, and kind, and had a brightness to her that drew Narcissa in like moth to a flame, but…but Lily was staring at her, a puzzled look in her leaf-green eyes, a worried pinch between her brows. 

“Are you alright?” Lily asked, a concerned undertone to her voice. 

Narcissa nodded. “Fine,” she said weakly. “I was just thinking about that History test coming up.” An easy, believable lie.

Lily groaned at the thought. “No, no school talk or thinking! I can’t even imagine how badly I’m going to do on that test! That class is so _boring!_ And I loved history in primary school, so that should say something!”

“You mean Binns lectures don’t captivate you so thoroughly that your notes are pristine and full of useful information?” Narcissa smirked down at her. Lily laughed.

The walk back to Hogwarts was just as good as the one in, but Narcissa found she didn’t want to go back to her dorm. It was so refreshing, to be able to be unafraid and open. God must hate her if he kept her from being with Lily in public. 

“We should do this again,” Narcissa said, before they reached the statue where people hoping to gain favor with the Black family lurked. “I know this is your thing with Marlene, but maybe every once in a while we could go down together.” 

“Marlene wouldn’t mind if you came with us,” Lily replied automatically. “I don’t want to risk you, though.”

“Something tells me she wouldn’t care if I was hanging out with you.” Narcissa trailed her hand along the stone walls. They were chilly and wet. “I’m starting not to care if everyone finds out. I like being around you.” 

“I don’t want you to get hurt,” Lily said, bumping her shoulder against Narcissa’s. “I like being around you, too, though. Do you want me to tell Marlene?” 

Narcissa bit her lip thoughtfully. “Maybe. I don’t want to third-wheel.” _I like being alone with you._ “But it would be nice, to have another friend. I’ll be up to three.” Her voice was slightly sarcastic, but that was the truth of it. Besides her sisters, she’d had two friends, ever. The Pureblood girls in her dorm didn't count because they only spoke to each other in order to boast about their families. Narcissa didn't need to boast, though- she was a Black, and therefore she had nothing to say, but rather she was expected to nod and smile and play nice because these girls could be her sister-in-laws someday. Narcissa shuddered at the thought. 

Lily twined her arm with hers, her warmth at once a comfort and a fire. “I’ll tell her, then,” she said, smiling. “She won’t tell anyone.” 

Narcissa had no doubt Marlene would keep her mouth shut. The McKinnons were known for being accepting, anti-Dark witches and wizards. Marlene’s aunt had done Andy’s wedding ceremony, according to the papers. Surely the daughter of such a Light family would jump at the chance to encourage Narcissa’s quiet rebellion. 

“Do you two do Hogsmeade weekends together?” Narcissa questioned.

“Yeah, usually we go with our dorm mates, Alice and Dorcas. It’s a completely different time with the rest of Hogwarts’ students, so we go for the hell of it and to visit shops that close before we go down during the week. This weekend though, Marlene’s going to ask Remus Lupin, and I’m going to ask your cousin.” 

“Sirius?” Narcissa asked, surprised. “I thought you hated him.” Privately, Narcissa thought Lily would have some issues with getting Sirius to go with her- Potter was always going after Lily, and Sirius was clearly head over heels for Lupin. 

“I don’t like him, at all,” Lily agreed. “But he and Remus have been mooning after each other for forever. We’re trying to make both of them jealous of the other so they finally get together.” 

Narcissa laughed. “I’m sure that will cause quite a scene with Potter,” she teased. “You’ll not just be making Lupin and Sirius jealous.” 

Lily rolled her eyes. “Potter can rot,” she replied shortly. “I’ve no interest in him, I wish he’d just leave it alone. It’s gotten more annoying over the years.” 

Narcissa nodded. “Boys are stupid,” she said sagely, a smirk curling her lips. 

“Hear, hear!” Lily laughed. They came to the witch statue. 

“Thursday?” Narcissa asked, unnecessarily. She didn’t want to leave Lily and go back to her dorm to be alone again. She was sure all she would end up doing was listening to Vivian Nott gloat over arranged engagement to Pollux Parkinson. 

“Thursday,” Lily promised. Narcissa could barely see her face but for the white gleam of her teeth as she smiled.

Narcissa Disillusioned herself, and climbed out of the statue. “See you then,” she whispered to Lily. “All clear- you can climb out. It’s just past curfew though, so Disillusion yourself.” 

There was a scuffling as Lily climbed out. The statue closed itself up behind her.

“See you,” Lily breathed, squeezing her hand briefly as she walked off. Narcissa watched the air for a few moments before beginning the lonely trek down to the dungeons. She was alone, she thought, but today had been good. Her mood would be hard to kill tonight, despite Vivian's best efforts. 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> another monday, another chapter! i'm going back and forth between whether i want lily or narcissa's pov for hogsmeade, or both. i'm not sure, but...i have Big Things planned. stay tuned :* <3


	4. Chapter 4

Lily stood in the corridor for a moment, hidden by her own Disillusionment charm, and listened to Narcissa’s footsteps echo as she walked away, watched the ghostly shimmers disappear around the corner. Those tidy little black heels made such a distinct clicking noise on the stone floors, Lily thought, a bit dazzled by the entire night. It would be a wonder if Narcissa wasn't caught. 

As Narcissa’s footsteps died off, Lily shook herself to get moving. Her body moved like it was on auto-pilot- Lily hardly thought about which turns she took or about watching for Professors who were eager to pounce on a student out after curfew. Her mind was consumed by Narcissa Black, as it had been for the last few weeks. Tonight had been something out of a dream. All that sunset light, drenching Narcissa in a heavenly glow, softening everything around the two of them. Nobody paid them any mind- it was like being friends, real friends, who could be together in public without worrying about some nosy little twat scribbling an off an owl in order to gain some sort of favor or whatever. Lily had made up her mind as soon as they dropped down into the tunnel below the witch statue- she and Narcissa would be going back to Hogsmeade together as often as they could. Nothing, no one, could ruin Narcissa when they were minding their own business in that little village. 

In no time, Lily came to the Fat Lady’s portrait. She’d climbed four floors with nothing but Narcissa on her mind. She should be embarrassed by that, Lily mused to herself, waiting idly by the banister for straggler Gryffindors to come back to the Common Room. But she wasn’t embarrassed, how could she be? Narcissa was probably on a lot of people’s minds. She was too breathtaking to ignore, no matter how silent and indifferent she looked. A hot, bright candle-flame lit up in her chest at the thought that only she (and Severus, and her sisters) knew that Narcissa cared about quite a bit more than she let on. 

As luck would have it, Lily’s musings were cut short by the very sudden arrival of Potter and Black. She didn’t know how she hadn’t seen them coming up the stairs or down the corridor- they’d just appeared out of thin air. Jesus, she really needed to snap out of this weird, Narcissa-centric mindset if she really hadn’t noticed the two loudest boys in the school coming towards her. 

“I don’t see why you had to break up with her _tonight_ ,” Potter was complaining. “I wanted to ask Evans to Hogsmeade before she disappears up to her dorm.” Lily almost snorted. He’d asked her to every Hogsmeade weekend they’d had and she always said, very forcefully, _no._

“Didn’t see a point in dragging it out another night. Hestia’s smart, she’ll get over it right quick,” Black replied, leaning against the wall, a half-grin on his face. He pushed his hair from his eyes. “I’d give up asking Evans, Prongs. She’s not going to say yes.” What kind of stupid nickname was _Prongs_? 

“You just don’t see the point in pursuing one girl,” Potter huffed. “You chase after a new girl every couple of days. Why can’t you be like me and pine?” 

Lily rolled her eyes. She wished they would just hurry up and go inside already. It was chilly this high up in the drafty castle, and she still needed to tell Marlene that she’d a) broken one of their most sacred rules, and b) that Narcissa was studying with her. _And_ she needed to ask Black to Hogsmeade- maybe Marlene had made her move tonight? It would make sense, with the gruesome twosome being gone. Remus would have been alone enough for her to sequester him in the corner and ask him. 

“Not everyone wants to make a fool of themselves,” Black replied shortly. “Goldenrod.” The portrait swung open. 

 _‘Finally!’_ Lily thought, shoving off the banister to hurry towards them. She followed close behind the two as they stepped through the portrait and into the loud, blessedly warm Common Room. Potter, put off by Black’s sudden sharpness, gave the other boy a disgruntled look and headed for the dorm stairs. 

A surreptitious sweep of the room told Lily that nobody was looking her way and she _finite_ ’d her Disillusionment charm before somebody look towards her. Black gave her a startled look. 

“Where’d you come from, Evans?” he asked, raising an eyebrow at her. “Eavesdropping doesn’t seem your style.” 

Lily winked and scanned the room for Marlene. “I won’t tell if you don’t,” she said over her shoulder, automatically heading for the armchair Marlene was sat reading in, grinning at his baffled expression. “Marlene!” she called in the same breath, hurrying towards her best friend.  

Marlene looked up from her book and a wide smile broke out across her face. She tossed the heavy text aside and pulled Lily into the chair beside her as soon as her arm was in reach. 

“I asked Remus,” she said excitedly. “He was very surprised, but he said yes- all you need to do is wait for Sirius to find out and then you have to ask him _right after_ , so he’ll accept to get back at Remus for going with me but before he thinks about how James will feel about it.” 

Lily grinned, shifting a bit in order to fit comfortably in the chair alongside Marlene. “I’m ready- he just broke up with Hestia Jones, I didn’t even know they were seeing each other!” 

“Seriously?” Marlene’s mouth dropped open in an ‘o’ of surprise. “Jesus, he moves quick, doesn’t he? Is that why he and James weren’t here earlier?” 

Lily nodded. “I heard them talking in the corridor,” she told her. “I’ve got to ask Sirius before James asks me.” 

“And what were you doing out after curfew anyhow, Miss Prefect?” Marlene teased. “Studying again? Surely alone with the mystery girl this time, hm? You told me Snape had detention.” 

Lily was suddenly flooded with a wave of guilt. She’d broken their rule, and had taken Narcissa to Hogsmeade without even asking Marlene. She was going to be _pissed_ , and rightfully so. She would never take someone else before asking Lily if it was alright. 

“Something like that,” Lily said vaguely. “Can we talk about that later? After I ask Black, maybe we can run up to our dorm? It’ll look like we’re going to giggle over those two.” 

Marlene faux-gagged. “As if I’d ever giggle over one of those prats, even Remus. Of course we can talk, Lils- what’s got you so guilty looking?” 

Lily nibbled on her lip and looked away, fingering a long strand of hair. “Nothing,” she lied. “Just worried about that History test coming up.” 

“Don’t remind me,” Marlene groaned, letting her head flop back against the armchair. “I know you’re lying to me right now, Lily, don’t think you’re getting out of this! I’ll never understand how you can lie through your teeth to everyone but me.” 

“Not true, I can’t lie to Severus either,” Lily replied, fixing her eyes on the boys’ staircase. She wondered if she would be able to convincingly lie to Narcissa. “Look- Potter’s coming back with Remus and Pettigrew, they’re high-fiving. Talking about you, I expect.” 

Marlene grinned, waggling her eyebrows at Lily. “Nearly your turn to ask Sirius.” 

“Don’t remind me,” Lily said, but she was smiling. “It’ll be nice to force them together, it’s been getting really annoying having to watch them practically fall apart over each other.” 

“You’re telling me,” Marlene grumbled. “I can’t make Remus laugh _once_ , or else Sirius looks like he’s gonna bite my head off.” 

Lily nodded, her eyes fixed on the boys. The three others had collapsed onto the same couch as Black and Potter was saying something to him rather excitedly. Black’s eyebrows shoot up his forehead and he involuntarily turned his head towards Marlene, gray eyes dark. 

“Now, nows the time,” Marlene whispered in her ear. “Go!” 

Lily grinned at her friend, and glanced towards Black, who was still staring at them. She looked away quickly, trying to play up her angle. 

“Alright,” she said, “I’m going-,” she cut herself off as Potter stood, a brave look fixed on his face. “Oh, my god, he’s going to try to ask me before I can get to Black.” 

Marlene stood up suddenly, dragging Lily up with her. Startled, she glanced over at her friend, who hissed in her ear, “I’ll distract James, you circle around the room- don’t go past him- and ask Sirius. Ready?” 

“Ready,” Lily said, resisting the urge to burst into laughter. Their little scheme was sounding more and more like an MI6 operation as time went on. 

“Go,” Marlene waved her away, stepping forward to meet Potter. Lily took off as she heard Marlene say, “Oi, James, have you got a moment to look at my Transfiguration homework?” 

The only one of the four boys that saw her coming to the couch was Peter, and he raised a welcoming hand at her as she approached. Lily smiled at him and stopped in front of Black, crossing her arms over her chest.

“Evans,” Black said, raising a brow. “Come to scare Remus off McKinnon?” 

“Not likely,” Lily said with a smile. “I think they’d be nice together. I came to ask you to Hogsmeade.” 

Remus’ eyes widened comically and Peter dropped the quill he’d been holding. Black raised his eyebrows at her. “You want to go to Hogsmeade with _me_?” His grey eyes were bemused. 

 _Not particularly._ “Why not? I thought we could double date with Remus and Marlene.” His scowl at the mention of Marlene was enough for her to know she had him. “We’re all friends, aren’t we?” 

Remus leaned over and grabbed Black’s arm, hissing, “You _can’t,_ Sirius, James…you know you can’t do this!“ 

“I can do whatever I want, Remus,” Black said cooly, shaking his friend’s hand off. “You’re going with McKinnon, why can’t I go with Evans?” 

The glare that passed between them was charged. Lily shifted uncomfortably and Pettigrew coughed. 

“So is that a yes…?” Lily trailed off as Remus’ furious gaze shifted to her. She shrugged. “No need to be so angry with me, Remus. I wasn’t aware Potter had the monopoly on Hogsmeade with Black.” 

Pettigrew laughed and Lily grinned at him. Peter was always such a good sport. 

“Yeah, I’ll go with you, Evans,” Black said, breaking his gaze from Remus. “We can all walk down together, yeah?” 

“Perfect,” Lily said, spinning on her heel and making a beeline for Marlene. Potter had just finished helping her with whatever trouble she’d been having on her Transfiguration. Marlene looked up as she approached and put on an appropriately excited expression. 

“What did he say?” Marlene asked eagerly, yanking her essay away from Potter. He gave her an affronted look. 

“He said yes, of course,” Lily said smugly, laughing at Marlene’s excited squeal. 

“Who said yes? To what?” Potter asked, pushing his glasses up on his nose. 

“I asked Black to Hogsmeade, if you must know,” Lily replied, picking an invisible piece of lint from her shoulder. His expression changed a few times in the span of a second- surprise to disappointment to anger. She checked her nails. 

“Wait, you asked Sirius and he said _yes_?” Potter demanded, crossing his arms. “He- ohh, that’s just-“ He shook his head and glared over at Black, his expression a mixture of confusion and anger that warped his usual cocky expression. “Your essay is fine, Marlene, just the theory behind animate-to-animate transfigurations is a little off. I’ve gotta go.” Potter stalked off towards the couch where the other three sat, hands clenched into fists at his sides. 

“C’mon,” Lily said, jerking her head towards the stairs. “Let’s go up to our dorm, Alice and Dorcas are still down here so no one’s up there.” 

“Sure, just give me a moment to get my stuff together,” Marlene replied, starting to gather up her things. She had the tendency to spread herself out in any environment- quills and parchment and ink pots all over the place, a textbook here and there, her bag crumpled on the floor. “Also, I think James is wrong about my essay, the theory is perfectly correct, I cross-checked it with our textbook.” 

Lily hummed in agreement, fighting down the slow ball of anxiety tightening up in her chest. Marlene would be upset with her, most definitely, and the key to making her less upset would lay in numerous apologies, a bit of begging, and a promise to show her somewhere special that she hadn’t shared with her yet. Lily knew she couldn’t tell Severus that she was going to show Marlene the Room of Requirement, he would lose his _mind,_ but she could definitely tell Narcissa. How, exactly, she would tell the other girl was beyond her- Severus was always with them, and she couldn’t very well make plans to hang out alone with Narcissa when Severus was right there, being excluded. Maybe a note, alongside the next letter her sister wrote? That had potential…

“Earth to Lily,” Marlene said, snapping her fingers under her nose. Lily jerked backwards in surprise, and Marlene raised an eyebrow. “I asked if you were ready to go up.” 

“Oh, yeah,” Lily said, shaking her head a little. “Sorry. Spaced out a bit.” 

“I’ll say,” Marlene agreed, taking the lead and heading towards the girls’ stairs. Lily followed, giving a jaunty little wave to the four fifth-year boys currently sitting together in a moody, tense silence. Remus’ narrowed eyes followed her, and Lily winked. 

“Not trying to steal your girlfriend, Remus, don’t worry,” she called to him, laughing when he scowled at her. 

“You’re good at this,” Marlene observed as they began the climb to their dorms. “Making those two madly jealous, I mean.” 

“Must be my calling,” Lily laughed. “I’m the matchmaker. I can find anyone a find, catch anyone a catch.” 

Marlene failed to catch her _Fiddler on the Roof_ reference, but that was fine. Having been raised in the Wizarding world, Marlene was unfamiliar with any Muggle play that wasn’t Shakespeare. A shame, to be sure, but Lily expected the ignorance at this point. Narcissa’s fascination with something as simple as a pen proved that wizards generally didn’t bother to learn anything about Muggles- it was no wonder there was such a stigma against them and Muggleborns in the Wizarding world. 

Their dorm was empty, just as Lily said it would be. While Marlene put her things away, Lily curled up on her four-poster, idly fingering the silk drapes as she constructed what she was going to say in her mind.  

“So,” Marlene said, flopping down and curling up near the end of Lily’s bed, face in her palms, elbows against the mattress, “what was it you wanted to talk to me about? Is it about the girl you’ve been studying with?” 

“Sort of,” Lily said carefully. “Before I start, I’m going to preface this with an ‘I’m sorry.’” She smiled weakly as Marlene’s dark brown eyes narrowed in suspicion. “I broke our rules and took the girl I’ve been studying with- Narcissa Black- to Hogsmeade.” 

Marlene’s mouth opened and shut; her eyes were wide, baffled and a little angry. Lily had purposely told her it was Narcissa who had been joining her study sessions in the same sentence as admitting to taking her to Hogsmeade to throw off her anger. She hoped that Marlene would be too curious as to how a Slytherin girl from a Dark pureblood family had ended up studying with a half-blood and a muggleborn to focus on being angry. Her ploy was only slightly fruitful as Marlene drew herself up from the bed, pointed an accusing finger at Lily, and sputtered, “You- I- _you broke our rule!_ ” 

“I know,” Lily said quickly, “I know I did and I’m _sorry,_ Mar, I-,“ 

“How did Black end up studying with you anyhow?” Marlene demanded. “You’ve got to tell me that, now, you _owe_ me! And why did you take her to Hogsmeade? Thats…thats our _rule_ , Lily, and you went and you just… _broke_ it!” 

“I’m sorry, Marlene, I really am,” Lily said, grasping at Marlene’s hands, clasping them between her own. “I’m sorry I didn’t ask you beforehand, but-,“ 

“You’re not sorry you took her, though?” Marlene asked, shrewd as ever even in her irate state. “God, I just- well, now you _have_ to show me where you’ve been studying, it must be special since you refused to take me there all these years-,” 

“I will,” Lily promised at once. “I swear I will-,” 

“- and since you’re going around showing off _our_ secret all willy-nilly-!” Marlene cut herself off with an angry huff.

“It wasn’t like that!” Lily dropped Marlene’s hands. “I mean- it was a whim, but I trust her, she won’t tell anyone!” 

Marlene shook her head, curls bouncing as she did so. “How could you not ask me first?” she demanded, crossing her arms. “I would _never_ take someone without your permission!” 

“I know you wouldn’t,” Lily said, shame-faced. “And I’m sorry I didn’t ask you, Mar, I just…” Lily sighed, running a hand through her hair to push it out of her face. “If I tell you the whole story- how she came to study with us, the whole works- will you at least partially forgive me until I show you where we study?” 

Marlene studied her, eyes narrowed. Lily put on the most apologetic face that she could manage. 

“Alright,” Marlene finally said. “Forgiven, fully, because I know you’re actually sorry. I’ve seen that fake-sorry you give other people, it’s not convincing at all. But you still have to show me where you study, and it had better be good! If it’s just an abandoned classroom, I swear to god-,” 

“It’s not,” Lily interrupted, beaming. “It’s way better than that, I promise! But we can’t tell Severus I showed you- he’d blow a fuse. I expect Narcissa wouldn’t actually care; more than likely, she’d be happy to hang out with you.” 

Marlene raised a doubtful brow, but gestured for Lily to continue. “Alright, from the top, then. Tell me the whole story.” 

Lily launched into the explanation of everything- how Narcissa came to study with them, how she inexplicably trusted her not to breathe a word, the Hogsmeade visit, the whole shebang. All in all, it took about half-an-hour; Lily often went off on tangents during her storytelling and tonight was no different, but Marlene relentlessly dragged her back to Lily’s current favorite topic: Narcissa Black. 

When she finished, Marlene let out a low whistle and ran a hand through her dark curls. 

“So the Blacks aren’t that bad after all, huh?” she asked, shaking her head. “Well, at least Narcissa isn’t, and Andromeda’s always been a nice girl…lord knows how they turned out so well, everyone knows Cygnus and Druella are a couple of cruel bastards.” 

“Everyone knows that?” Lily asked, confusion lacing her voice. Narcissa had said, in their very first meeting, that everyone else in the school knew how her parents treated her, but Lily hadn’t taken it quite as literally as Marlene was implying. “How can everyone know, and nobody do a single thing about it?” 

Marlene spread her hands. “Childcare laws in the Wizarding world just aren’t up to par with Muggle ones,” Marlene shrugged. “There was nothing that could be done, so it was what it was.” 

“Well that’s just…abominable!” Lily sputtered, mind reeling. How could everyone just wring their hands and fuss and bemoan a parent’s brutality, but not lift a finger to change anything? Although, given the current state of war the Wizarding community of Britain was currently fighting, it wasn’t so hard to believe. Nobody was _really_ trying to stop You-Know-Who. Sure, there were Aurors fighting and dying, but the Ministry was on the edge of giving up direct opposition and hadn’t bothered to do anything _before_ , years ago, when it was just rallies and marches through Diagon- now it was families ripped apart, a community in terror, and an eerie Dark Mark floating above the carnage. And the Ministry sat above it all, hemming and hawing and being frightened into submission.

“It’s the way things are, Lily,” Marlene replied. “I don’t agree with it, nobody does but what can be done? We can’t change the laws ourselves, we’d need officials and appeals and everyone got a bit distracted when You-Know-Who started popping up.” 

Lily nodded absently. “Yes, you’re right,” she murmured, lost in thought. Who would oppose the Ministry? Who would oppose You-Know-Who? The Wizarding Community, she thought, didn’t have nearly enough nerve. And with Hogwarts churning out students who had weak Defense backgrounds because of the change of teacher, and thus curriculum, every year…it was no wonder there was nobody left to fight back. 

“Anyway, I want to see that room tomorrow after classes. Maybe I could meet Narcissa then, too?” Marlene asked. “I want to shake the hand of the girl whose caught your attention. It’s about time someone did.” 

“What?” Lily asked, snapping back to the present at the mention of Narcissa’s name. “Oh. I can show you the room tomorrow, no problem, but I don’t know about meeting Narcissa- we can’t really talk outside of that room, so I don’t have a way to contact her besides that. What was that about my attention?” 

“Nothing,” Marlene said cheekily, grinning at her friend. “Sounds like a weird arrangement you two have. Tell her Thursday, then. We can all meet up there sometime, hang out. Have a grand old time, yeah?” 

“Yeah,” Lily said, smiling widely at the thought. Narcissa and Marlene would get along swimmingly- they were both sharp girls, cheeky (though Narcissa rarely displayed this facet of herself, it was there), and they were eager to meet each other. “That would be really nice, I think.” 

“Perfect,” Marlene said, standing up and brushing off her robes. “Now, let’s go back downstairs and try to get Remus and Sirius and James all riled up again. That was some of the most fun I’ve had in a while!” 

Lily laughed, standing and looping her arm with Marlene’s. “Sounds great,” she agreed, a sparkle of mischief in her eyes. “I do like to wreak some havoc now and again.” 

“Now and again?” Marlene retorted, raising an eyebrow. Lily just winked. “Shall we?” Marlene asked with a wide, Cheshire smile, opening the door with her free arm. 

“We shall,” Lily grinned.

* * *

The next morning at breakfast, Lily was buttering up her toast when Marlene elbowed her sharply, sending her knife and toast to the ground. Lily glared at her friend, about to demand what her problem was, when Marlene practically shoved the Daily Prophet under her nose, finger pointing to the headlining article. It read: **_THREE DEATH EATER ATTACKS IN ONE NIGHT! DEATH TOLL 17_**

“Oh, my god,” Lily breathed, suddenly sick to her stomach. A subdued silence spread across the Great Hall as the students took in the news. Three attacks had been lead by Death Eaters, all against families who were particularly outspoken against You-Know-Who. The Brightflowers, the Mendosas, and the Williamsons. Lily’s heart sank in her chest. Rosalind and Evelyn Williamson were sisters, a year above and below her respectively. Reflexively, her eyes flickered to the Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw tables. Both girls were missing. 

As she continued to skim the article, she read the names of the identified dead, civilian, Auror, and Death Eater alike. It was when she came to the name Evan Rosier that she paused and glanced to the Slytherin table, where Narcissa was sitting. The other girl was holding the paper, face impassive as she sipped her tea but her fingers were white-knuckled. A girl to her right, Vivian Nott, turned to Narcissa and whispered something, a look of concern so fake that Lily could spot it across the Hall plastered across her face. Narcissa shook her head, and whispered something back in reply, which seemed to satisfy the other Slytherin, who turned back to her own paper. Narcissa glanced up and met Lily’s eyes. Despite her dour mood, Lily’s breath caught in her throat at the steady, impossibly blue gaze. Narcissa nodded almost imperceptibly, then cast her eyes upward for a split second. 

Having caught the meaning, Lily twitched a slight nod in response and turned back to the Prophet. Eleven civilians had been killed in the attacks. Five of them were children, all too young for Hogwarts. The rest were Aurors and Death Eaters. The message You-Know-Who was sending read loud and clear to everyone in the room: if you spoke up, you would be silenced. Lily brushed a stray tear from the corner of her eye. 

“It’s horrible,” Marlene said quietly, closing a comforting hand over Lily’s and squeezing slightly. 

Lily nodded silently, brain working at overdrive. She and Narcissa had been at Hogsmeade last night, laughing and happy while entire families were slaughtered, while the Williamson sisters were pulled from their dorms to be told that their parents had been killed. Lily bit her lip, willing herself not to cry. It had to stop. This war _had_ to stop, before everyone became a casualty. 

Classes that day were more subdued than usual. Everyone, student and teacher alike, were somber in the face of such tragedy. Only the worst of the Slytherins were at their normal level of cheerfulness, something despised by their Housemates and the school alike. Lily couldn’t help but cast a discrete tripping hex at Avery when she passed him in the hall, smirking in triumph when he stumbled and dropped his bag, which unclasped and spilled out an assortment of ink bottles, quills, and rolls of parchment. She didn’t feel bad about it at all as she strode away from the horrible boy scrambling to retrieve his belongings.

Potions was the only class that day where Lily felt even slightly better. She and Marlene were always paired up, and Lily was in charge of getting ingredients while Marlene began station prep work. Today, Lily was the first one inside the cupboard, but Narcissa was close behind. 

“After classes,” Narcissa breathed into her ear. Lily couldn’t help but shiver as her breath brushed against her ear. They were so close that their hair brushed together, white-blonde on bright red. Narcissa was nearly pressed up against her back her in the small space. Her heart was beating like a bird, thrumming against her chest so loudly that Lily was sure Narcissa could feel it through her robes.

“Marlene will be there,” Lily whispered back, as quietly as she could manage. How she spoke at all, with her throat suddenly so dry, she would never know. Narcissa’s breath brushed against the back of her neck, and Lily felt the hairs on her neck stand up in response. 

Narcissa grasped her hand and squeezed lightly before grabbing the ingredients she needed for today’s potions and leaving, composed and cool. Lily felt cold without Narcissa’s body heat mingling with hers in the small cupboard, and she took the ingredients she needed as quickly as she could to get out into the room where open flames would warm up her bones. 

As Lily began carefully dicing up valerian roots for the daily potion, she couldn’t help but feel she’d arranged an illicit meeting rather than a friendly get together. 

* * *

Marlene was appropriately awed by the Room of Requirement. She changed the room so many times, from a pool to a garden to a living room and on and on, that Lily was starting to feel a bit dizzy. Finally, her friend finished her experimental room shifting and collapsed onto an enormous, plush couch, laughing. She rolled onto her side, and pointed at Lily, a gleeful look on her face.

“This is _incredible!_ ” She exclaimed, gesturing around the room. “I mean, even for Hogwarts! This room has so much potential, Lily! We could start up our own secret gossip club or something in here.” 

“Not your worst idea, Mar,” Lily teased, leaning against the wall with her arms crossed. “I know, there’s lots of unexplored possibilities in this room, but Severus and I agreed to it keep secret from the school.” 

“We could have dueling club in here,” Marlene remarked, looking around the rule. “Remember, they disbanded that a few years ago? Merlin knows why, we need it now more than ever.” 

Lily nodded, losing herself in that train of thought momentarily. It was true, the world outside their castle was more than dangerous. That much was easily proved with last night’s massacre. She shuddered at the thought, of all those _children_ , tortured in their bedrooms- 

“Snap out of it, Lily,” Marlene’s voice broke through her state. Lily twitched, mentally scolding herself for letting her mind slip so far. That had been happening quite a bit recently, she thought, first with Narcissa, then with the war. Since when was she the type to think about a friend constantly? Lily had other things to think about, like…well, she wasn’t sure what. The war was another matter entirely; before this past year, she’d tried not to give it as much thought. Then again, things hadn’t been as bad this time last year. Occasional attacks, few deaths, only reported activity of anti-Muggleborn sentiment on a sharp rise- things had changed so quickly as the Ministry faltered. 

“Sorry,” Lily said, running a hand through her hair, a small frown fixed on her face. “Been a bit of space case recently, haven’t I?” She pushed off the wall and perched herself on the armrest of a love seat, forcing herself fully back into reality with a brisk, mental shake.

“To be expected, with everything going on,” Marlene replied, a strange smile on her face. “Speaking of distractions, where’s this girl of yours?” Lily had told her only a few details about their short chat (if it could be called a chat) in the ingredients cupboard.

“Why do you keep saying things like that?” Lily asked, suddenly irritated. “She’s my _friend_ , Marlene. And she’s on her way, so if you would just _not_ talk like that around her, that would be fantastic.” 

“Just calling it like I see it,” Marlene said, holding her hands up in defense, eyes sparkling with mischief. Lily regarded her friend cooly; her impish face betrayed no malice, but something about Marlene’s teasing ruffled Lily. It was preposterous for Marlene to think that Lily was interested in more than friendship with Narcissa. 

To Lily’s right, the door to the room creaked open and she swung around to greet Narcissa, barely catching Marlene’s smug expression from the corner of her eye. Sod her, Lily thought rudely. She didn’t like Narcissa as anything but a friend. 

For her part, Narcissa hesitated a bit inside the doorway. She looked prim as ever in her uniform, all of her clothes in perfect order down to the threads binding the cotton. Lily’s sullen expression blossomed into a wide smile at the site of her friend, her just-a-friend. Narcissa’s responding smile (a real one, where the corners of her eyes crinkled up just the slightest bit) sent a tiny thrill through her. It was a sign, she thought, that Narcissa had really, truly warmed up to her. Lily relished in the thought.

“Come on in, Marlene doesn’t bite,” Lily said, gesturing the blonde forward. Narcissa shut the door behind her and the other girl didn’t hesitate another moment to walk towards Marlene, hand extended, heeled shoes clicking across the hardwood floor. 

“My name is Narcissa Black,” she introduced herself with a small smile. 

Marlene took her hand, and shook it once with a cordial nod. “Marlene McKinnon.” A sly grin broke across her face and Lily narrowed her eyes at her friend. “It’s nice to finally meet you. I’ve been wondering why Lily’s come back so bloody cheerful from _studying,_ of all things.” 

“Is that right?” Narcissa asked, looking over her shoulder at Lily, whose expression morphed from glaring daggers at Marlene to a weak smile. Narcissa’s eyes glimmered in the sunlight streaming through the faux-windows. “I’m glad to hear I’ve put her in such a good mood. It’s not easy to put up with Severus alone.” 

“You managed that for years,” Lily pointed out, flopping into the love seat. “You turned out just fine.” 

“I know _I_ did, Lily, but I’m afraid you fall on the violent side of anger, and our poor friend might have ended up dead if I’d not come along.” 

“Oi!” Lily said as Marlene began to laugh. She couldn’t help her own smile at the humor glittering in Narcissa’s eyes. “That’s not true, I wouldn’t hurt a fly!” It was absolutely true, and Lily knew it. Marlene laughed all the harder. 

As Marlene’s laughter died off, the three lapsed into a momentary silence. Narcissa took a seat next to Lily, folding one slim leg over the other and folding her arms loosely as she leaned into the couch, looking casual despite the straight uniformity of her clothing. How she managed to never wrinkle a robe or scuff her leather Mary Janes, Lily would never know. All the charms in the world couldn’t keep Lily’s tie straight or her knee socks up, and yet Narcissa always looked perfect. 

“Are you alright, Lily?” Narcissa asked, genuine concern lacing her voice. Her blue eyes were searching as she gazed at Lily. “Earlier, in the Great Hall, you looked…” she trailed off, eyebrows pinching together in worry. “I thought you were going to be sick.” 

“I’m better now,” Lily admitted, though she would never say it was only because Narcissa was with her. That was too much to tell a friend, she thought firmly. Even if she would told Marlene those words, or Severus, it was too much to tell Narcissa, because they’d only been friends for a month. “I’m still feeling shaken up by it, but I’m better.” She paused. “It could have been us, you know, if they’d decided to attack Hogsmeade instead. We were out last night, it-,” she broke herself off. “I should have listened to you.” Lily stared resolutely at her scuffed up boots, willing herself not to tear up again. 

Narcissa’s soft, warm hand landed on her forearm and Lily almost jumped out of her skin at the sudden contact. “But it wasn’t us,” Narcissa reminded her. “We weren’t hurt, and I don’t regret going out last night. It was the most fun I’ve had in a long time.” 

A rush of warmth filled Lily’s chest and she smiled, looking up from her boots. Narcissa’s concern had melted to a gentler expression. “I had fun, too.” She laid her hand over Narcissa’s and squeezed lightly.

Marlene coughed loudly and Lily turned her head so fast to glare at her she thought she might have whiplash. 

“Alright, Marlene?” Lily asked, narrowing her eyes at her friend, who grinned back cheekily. 

“Just something in my throat,” Marlene said innocently, eyes flickering to their hands. “So, you little rule breakers study up here with Snape? How’d you end up friends with him, Narcissa?” 

“He was the only person in our year who didn’t talk to me solely because I’m a Black,” Narcissa admitted. “That’s how it started, at any rate.” 

“I don’t really see how you can stand him,” Marlene commented. “He’s not exactly an upstanding character, is he, always skulking about with Avery and Mulciber?” 

Lily thought maybe she should speak up on his behalf, but Marlene wasn’t wrong. Severus had been slowly gravitating towards Slytherin’s worst over the years. It was troubling, and no matter what she said, he wouldn’t listen to her, citing the fact that they were nice to him and getting angry that she discouraged him from hanging out with them. 

“I’ve wondered the same thing over the years,” Narcissa sighed, brushing her hair over her shoulder with a manicured hand. “He’s not any better than Potter, as much as he goes on and on about how Potter is a bully and Potter did this or that.” She rolled her eyes. “It’s gone from annoying to infuriating over time, how much he idolizes all the blood purist ideals in Slytherin. I don’t see how he and I will remain friends if he keeps up with it.” 

Lily was surprised. She’d known Narcissa disapproved of Severus hanging around those boys, but not that she felt strongly enough over it to end her own friendship with him. A bit uncomfortable with the subject, but still wanting to put her two cents in, Lily said, “I can’t blame you, really, but…Severus was my first wizard friend. I won’t give up on him unless he walks down that road, you know?” 

“Well,” Narcissa replied, a small smile on her face. “I can’t let you do that alone, then. I won’t step away from him until you do.” 

Lily beamed at her. It would be much easier to convince Sev not to go full Dark if his first two friends were discouraging him from it. He wouldn’t be so alone in Slytherin without Avery and Mulciber if Narcissa was there with him. 

“So you’re all aboard the Snape train until he forces you off, then?” Marlene sighed. “Well, hopefully today’ll make him reconsider his future. If not the death of innocent people, then maybe the Death Eater’s deaths will. A special mask can’t protect you forever.” 

“Oh!” Lily turned to Narcissa at the sudden reminder of Evan Rosier. “I meant to ask you if you’re alright as well. I saw the name Rosier listed in the death column.” 

Narcissa stared at her, mouth opening slightly in surprise. “You’re worried that I’m upset over my Death Eater grandfather’s death?” she asked, bewildered. When Lily nodded, Narcissa shook her head. “The world doesn’t deserve you, Lily. No, I’m not upset. My grandfather wasn’t around much when I was a child, and when he was, he made sure to tell my sisters and I all about the people he’d killed to scare us.” 

“Sounds like a real character,” Marlene muttered. “He’s got a son, doesn’t he?” 

“And a grandson,” Narcissa confirmed. “His son is Aidan Rosier, and his grandson is Sebastian Rosier- he’s a seventh year. He got pulled out of his dorm last night soon I got back to the Common Room.” 

“Your uncle and cousin?” Lily guessed, looking to Narcissa, who nodded. 

“Lucky me,” she said, sarcasm dripping from her voice. “Sebastian didn’t turn out quite like my sisters and I did. His father is a Death Eater, and Sebastian will be, too.” 

“How do you know all this?” Marlene asked, lifting her head from the couch. “Aren’t Death Eater identities supposed to be secret?” 

Narcissa shrugged, somehow making even that casual gesture look effortlessly elegant. “I’m a daughter from one of the Darkest families in magical history. Of course I know. My mother talks about how proud she is to have Death Eaters in the families constantly.” Her lip curled in distaste. “She’d force us into Death Eaterhood if she didn’t know it had to be someone’s willing choice.” 

They lapsed into silence. Lily thought about what Narcissa had said. Someone had to be completely willing to be able to become a Death Eater. That kind of loyalty disgusted and mystified her. Could someone be so trusting in a leader that they followed all of his orders without question? It didn’t seem wise to her. Lily wouldn’t even trust Dumbledore that much; he may be wise, and powerful to boot, but then again, Lily had never been one to follow orders. 

As another hour passed, with the three of them just chatting and relaxing, Lily found that she was very much okay with being seated so close to Narcissa. She wasn’t nearly as close as they’d been in the Potions cupboard, but it was still nice, and a little exciting, to be able to lean against Narcissa and be completely comfortable. Lily ignored Marlene’s knowing eyes and sly smile, happy to just be with her friends in a room tucked far away from the brewing war, where golden sunlight streamed in the windows and warmed her heart. 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> the fourth monday brings a fourth chapter!! this particular monday is very difficult for me because of a personal tragedy that took place last year, so im publishing this chapter at nearly 1am LOL. i don't want to get worried about posting it later in the day, because i know i won't be able to. also, happy 20th hp anniversary! this book series means an awful lot to me, and i'm sure it does to a lot of you, too! hope you like it, let me know what you think <3 do you see where i'm going with a couple of things? do you like it? i'm curious!!


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